If you're going to do something.. then do it...

Sunday - June 12, 2011
Got a late start as I went to church first thing, then came home and had some breakfast.   I like to have quite a few miles in before noon,  and I was just getting going around then.    I took Sam with me today.  She was so excited, just sniffing here and there.  After about 2.5 miles, she started to just take it in stride.  Until I said,  a squirrel.  Then she perked up and started to canvas the area to see where the squirrel was.  (Anyone who's seen "UP"  can appreciate this reference.). 

We walked close to the lake and she got very excited.  We also went to Veterans Park and she enjoys trying to chase the geese.    We walked to a bank,  and I had her lay down outside the ATM door while I went in real quick.   I saw a car come up and I finished and came out.  The woman thought that Sam was lost and she was concerned.  She hadn't seen me in the door.  I told her I appreciated it, but,  she was with me. :)  She was getting tired, so I had Dennis come and pick her up.  We did a little over 6 miles by then.   I did the last 3+ miles myself, but that was ok.    We made good time, averaging 3.5  miles per hour.  

Today was much cooler,  upper 60's.  It felt more like fall, than June.  I really enjoyed it though.  Sam and I just kept walking.. and in my head  the Boulevard of Dreams kept playing over and over.   For anyone who's never heard it before, or know the words.. here you go:

The good news is,  I know at the end of July, I won't be walking alone.  I'll be walking with amazing people who committed to this same journey and raised money to help in the efforts.   To all those so far who've donated any dollar amount.. I THANK YOU again ! !   If you were/are unable to donate,   please know that I am grateful for any good wishes  my way that I can actually do this ! ! :)  

Pedometer reading: 23970  (or 10.89 miles)

Cheers.


Saturday - June 11, 2011
"If you do something, you really do it."  was what our dock partner said to me yesterday when I walked to the boat from my haircut.   After hearing how many miles I walked, he was like, well, you really do something, you just aren't taking a walk, you're really taking a walk.   It sounded so good when he said it.      I did 14.64 miles.    Just shy of the 15 miles I was shooting for,   but, I was very happy with my progress.   Only once did I feel a little ...light headed.  Thank goodness for shade!   While it was only about 78 degrees, it was sunny and a bit muggy.    I walked my normal 5 mile route, came home had breakfast.  On my 5 mile route, saw some interesting things.  Of course, another banana peel.
all shriveled up.   Also saw a baby deer on the side of an apartment building.  (see pictures).   Another interesting thing, was that I've seen signs for a missing cat that goes by the name of Brownie.   After I was taking the picture of the baby deer,  there was a guy on the side walk with a black cat following him.  I asked him if he knew the cat, and he said, oh yes, it's my cat,  she follows me to the grocery store and will wait for me while I'm inside, then follow me home.    How fun!   I said, oh, ok, so that's not "Brownie" the missing cat, he's like, oh no,  my cat follows me everywhere.   I didn't snap a picture, as I thought that'd be creepy, but, thought I'd note it as an interesting thing. :-)
  
  After a light breakfast, I headed out to where I get my haircut in downtown Willougbhy.   I was running out of time, so my son came and drove me about a mile so I 'd make it to my appointment on time.  (If I'd not had him drive me there, I would've made my 15 mile goal..... but, I don't like to be late for appointments).

I didn't have my hair styled,  and leaving it wet was very refreshing. I'll have to remember that next time it's sunny and warm.  The wet hair is a great cooling agent. 

(Pedometer read 32654 - my highest single day yet).



Yet, another banana peel.....



Baby deer on the side of an apartment building.




Adventurous ? hmmmmm

Walking this morning, admiring the lightening storm out over the lake I was thinking about a statement someone made recently where they thought I had an adventurous side.   I chuckled and thought,  well, it is probably a conservative adventurous side because when I think adventurous, I think extreme sports, mountain climbing rip lining, bungy jumping, things like that.   Participating in a 3day walk to raise awareness and money for breast cancer never occurred to me as being adventurous until this morning.

I took a new route that would take me alongside the lake so that I could observe the 'pretty' lightening out over the vast darkness.   

  

Light shows in the dark over Lake Erie at 4:48 a.m.

The winds were whirling and leaves, tulip tree buds were flying, I started to think.. hmmm...  this might be considered adventurous.  

I then walked past a strip in the road passing a dead skunk..  oh no,  that awful smell.. walk faster, hold your nose, walk faster..    Boy, God has a sense of humor.  Poor little fellow,   dead as a doornail and the smell..  well,  enough said.

Managed to get almost home as the storms that I admired an hour earlier, were now directly ahead of me on shore and coming off the lake toward me.   OK,  I'm going to get wet.  This is adventurous.. hmmmm..  Within 30 seconds,  the clouds opened up and those big rain drops fell, and fell and fell.   Great for the grass,  not so great for me.   Walk faster,  walk faster.     By the time I finished that last three quarters of a mile,  I was soaked to the bone.   I was glad I hadn't taken Samantha with me, or she would've been a wet doggy stinking up the house.  

So,  for the adventurous side of me...  all I can say is.. Perhaps  *Smile*

Have a great day all.

-Cheers.

Side Benefits......

Where does the time go?    52 days until the walk.   So far, I've logged 439 miles.  (Wow.. I did that ?)  I've rechecked my excel sheet and yep.. that's it based on my pedometer steps/tracking.  Now, that also includes just walking in general, to / from the car,  around the halls at work,but it is amazing when you actually tally it up.

So, to the title subject.  I was thinking yesterday morning when I did my 5 mile walk,  there are definitely side benefits to this regiment of regular walking.

• After a day at Cedar Point last Thursday with my daughter's 8th grade graduating class,  I wasn't tired, sore or felt like I'd been walking all day with a group of teens who were indecisive about which ride to go on next. We seemed to weave in/out and back and forth to get to the next ride.
• I have been receiving comments from people on how I've inspired them to start walking.  They are starting to walk their neighborhoods and feeling better in doing so.   My dad and I walked in Columbus a few weeks ago and he's been doing more regular walks.   My dad has been giving me updates of his walking - Yay dad, keep it up!
• Reflection time:  The walking has been taking up alot of time.   In that time, I've been meditating, reflecting, list making and sometimes purging my brain of thoughts all together and just walking.  I sometimes visualize the next walk, the distance, the route.  That helps me in knowing what's next. 
• Health; goes without saying.   While the scale doesn't seem to reflect the drop I was hoping for,  I am feeling better, stronger, less tired. (except on those nights when I stay up past 10 p.m. and wake up at 4 a.m.   I don't drink coffee,  so it's sometimes just a literal drag myself outside and start to go.)

June 7th,  Summer is here!   As you can see,  the temperature was starting to heat up early with the humidity and mugginess in the air.   Good practice as I have no idea what end of July will be.  I hope that the walk starts early enough in the day, that we can get miles behind us before the sun shines and heats up our path. :)

Summer is here, 74 degrees and muggy at 4:43 a.m. on June 7 ! :)

Happy Memorial Day Weekend ! !

Monday - May 30th.  Went to the city parade. I parked at the cemetary and walked about a mile and a half to where the Parade was starting.   Daniel was marching.   The kids looked great ! ! !   They had a very nice service.  My dad and brother went too.    I was glad that I went. :)   Visited my mom's grave site.   I'm sure she was smiling down at seeing her grandson marching so close to her resting place.   We all miss her dearly, but know she's watching over us.  Love you mom ! !

After the parade and service,   went back to the boat.   Went sailing for about 3 hours.  Thank goodness I remembered the sunscreen ! !   I think re-applying another time would've helped my nose not to be so 'red' as I type this.   So glad summer is here and we had a few days of sun in a row.   I didn't walk today as much as I should have, but tomorrow I'll get up at 4 a.m. and get 6 miles in before work.  Also, will get to yoga at work.     It will be a great way to kick off the work week !

Happy Memorial Day to all, and thank you to all the Veterans, Active service men and women and especially those who gave the ultimate sacrifice !    God Bless America ! ! !

Sunday - May 29th.  Went to church in the morning with Rebecca.  Hannah was there too.  The service was in the church versus the basement.  I think they're going to have the contemporary service there more often.  The drums are staying on the side of the altar.    It is always good to see / hear the musicians.   Pastor Don did an excellent service as usual.    There was a touching time when the congregation said goodbye to a couple relocating to Tampa.   It was very touching the heartfelt tears that were displayed.  While I didn't know the couple,  I got to thinking, this will be Dan next year when he goes off to college.  I'll miss seeing him at Sunday service most.   It has been an awesome year to see him play nearly every Sunday! I'm so proud of his dedication and commitment and service !   I didn't walk much today.  Mostly relaxed from the party. 

In the evening,  there was the Welcome Aboard party where we recognize and welcome new members.  Sadly, none of the new members, could attend.  It was a still a nice dinner and we got to safely watch the storm roll in.  I am always amazed and in awe of our Great Lake Erie and how fast the weather can change the dynamics of the lake.

After the storm,  Daniel and his friends went to the beach for a while.   At 10:00'ish me and Dennis went to let them know it was about time to go.    They were starting to get ready to go, and I though,  good.  we'll have some alone time.. maybe make out .. hahahahahaha...    Of course,  that was thwarted by the Eastlake Rescue and Technical Issue team coming to launch their dingy to help a disabled boater.     So much for some quiet alone time.  :-/ 

 It was interesting to watch the launching . It seemed there was no sense of urgency and once they got in,  they had no running lights, and only flashlights.    I was thinking, where are their large spot lights and running lights?  It is tough to see out on the lake when it is foggy/cloudy.   It seemed to take forever for them to get going.   I was praying for the boaters that were out there.    After about an hour of listening to them try to position the boat.. through lights on land etc,   the rescue team was running low on fuel.  They were calling in Mentor..   I wondered, where is the Coast guard?  were they already out? Away..? 

Saturday - May 28th.  my FAVORITE day of the year.    My precious children born on this day.  Truly the best gifts of all ! !     I managed to get 6.5 miles in before the Birthday Festivities.

Party at the club.  27 kids from my daugther's school   Thank goodness for my creative brother who had the games/entertainment covered.  The kids seemed to have a great time. Only two young men decided to go swimming.   I think they regretted it shortly after because it was chilly.   Daniel had to work,   but,  it was a good day for it.   The weather was nice and only a hand full of boats needing a pump out or gas.   Rebecca and I went home after the party.   She managed to get all her thank you cards done.   I got all my flower pots planted and two planters will need some flowers, but I'll get them Sunday or Monday.

 

Friday - May 27th

Friday Morning walk.    5 miles.    At the 1.5 mile mark, I found this fresh peel.   I had to stop and take a picture of it.  I was laughing when I looked at the time.  It was 4:45 a.m.   This was a relatively 'fresh' peel.  I thought to myself, is it fresh because of all the wet weather?  Did someone just toss it this early?   Such a funny thing to see on the sidewalk. 

4:45 a.m. Friday 5/27/2011 on Lakeshore Boulevard

Friday was a good day at work.  Pretty quiet as I think many started their weekend early.   I was excited to get home, to get things ready for Rebecca and Daniel's Birthday tomorrow !

Banana Peels... who would've thought you'd see more than a few...

So far, I haven't been listening to any music on my walks.   Part of this is for safety, part of it is to just decompress and let nothing be in my mind and see where it wanders.   On my walk to and from downtown Willoughby, that there were not one, two or three banana peels along the side walk, but a total of six in a 5 mile stretch.   I find it odd that they are just black shriveled up and tossed aside.   One can argue, they will disintegrate, but why are they there?  Is it the same person,  just tossing their lunch scrapes?  Is it more than one person that is discarding the peels?     I've taken alternate routes, and inevitably,  I am now finding .. you guessed it.   Banana peels here and there.    It makes me laugh every time I see one.   

Monday and Wednesday of this week,  I started waking up at 4 a.m.  I'm trying to get in 6 miles before work.   Monday, I was close with 5.4.  Yesterday I did 5.6.  I run out of time as I'm leaving the house at 4:15/4:20 and need to be back by 6 to get ready for work.      Tomorrow,  I will do a 6.2 mile venture.   I've also mapped a nice walk near the lake that will be 7.3.      The good news, is the past few mornings,  my legs haven't ached/been tired and it's only the lack of time that's stopped the walks.   

Saturday,  I'll be in Columbus for the Girls Regional Volleyball tournament.  I'm already scoping out where I can walk to get in at least 8 miles.     I think Sunday will be a nice restful swim in the hotel pool before driving back.     

The good news is.. while the scale isn't dropping as I'd hopped,  I am able to fit into a pair of jeans comfortably that I haven't been able to fit into for years.    Very happy about that. :)    

That's all for now..    hope the posts make you smile. and think.... Banana peels?  hmmm.. :)

Cheers for now.

-Rose

Beautiful Mother's Day weekend. :)

Two days of sunshine in a row ! !  What a great weekend.    The walking went very well this weekend.   Saturday,  10.6 miles (then maybe another .5 at the mall).    It felt awesome to walk in the sun,  until I realized that I didn't use sunscreen. :(    Note to self;  put sunscreen in my pack, along with tissues and a band-aid.     I walked to my hair appointment in downtown Willoughby.   Keri was surprised, but when I explained why I walked there, she was like way to go -- keep it up.    The walk home went quicker and I made better time.    The wind was at my back, so that definitely helped.

Mother's day was nice.  Went to the service where my son plays drums in the contemporary service.   I always enjoy it.    I had brought a change of clothes so I could walk home.  Only 5.6 miles.   
I had given Dennis a Dr. Oz strawberry french toast recipe to make.   It was just about ready by the time I got home in an hour and 45 minutes.   My daughter washed my car.   Son said he'll wax it when he can. (probably after school is over in  a few weeks).
My son needed to get a gift from the Beachwood mall,  so got a handful more steps in there.    

Good weekend for walking.    My total tracked mileage since February 1 = 312 miles.     They say the average 3day walker will train with 585 miles before the event.  I should be close or above that.  (If you'd told me a year ago that I would've walked 312 miles in 3 months,    My response would've been to laugh)   Now, I just look forward to the next walk. :)

Thinking of my mom and missing her.  Thanks for walking with me in my heart Mom.  You always give me strength ! :)  

Blessings to all mom's everywhere !

Cheers for now.

Yay For Yoga! !

I've been missing Yoga the last few weeks because I was doing a Junior Achievement class on Tuesday's at lunch and then there was always something double booking me on Thursday so I was missing it.   This week,  I made it to both the Tuesday and Thursday Yoga class at work.    I'm happy to say, that I really missed it !   The ability to stretch/relax and meditate all in that hour cannot be underestimated.   I'm very fortunate that it is offered at work.  They run the class from 1:05 to 1:50.  This gives me exactly an hour lunch, with time to change and get back to work.   It is really a nice benefit, and is so re-energizing!

For those of you who have never tried yoga,  I highly recommend it.    Coupled with the every other day walking,  it is a really good break for the muscles.   

To date,  I have logged 287.93 miles.    I'm happy with my progress and that it does seem to be getting less and less intimidating to do 5 and 6 miles.    I actually felt like the 6 miles I did yesterday,  I could've easily re-did.   The morning was a misty cool walk,  but,  if I had not run out of time, I would've did the same route.   In my mind,  that is a good sign . :-) 

I'm actually looking forward to this weekend and excited to see where I might go to do 8-10 miles. :-)

Will let you know how it goes.

Cheers for now.